Marlene: A Novel of Marlene Dietrich by C.W. Gortner

Marlene Dietrich’s femme fatale persona defined her, but behind the glitz of 1930s Hollywood was a remarkably modern woman, determined to live by her own terms.

A rebellious girl, Marlene’s genteel family expectations curtail her until Germany's defeat in the Great War gives rise to the decadence of Weimar Berlin. Here, Marlene finds her niche as a cabaret actress. With her sultry beauty, smoky voice, and androgynous tuxedo, she performs to packed houses and has a series of stormy love affairs that push the boundaries of social convention until she finds overnight success in the scandalous movie The Blue Angel. As Hitler seizes power, Marlene sets sail for America to become one of Hollywood’s top leading ladies, starring opposite Gary Cooper, John Wayne, and Cary Grant. When Hitler tries to entice her back to Germany, Marlene defiantly declares her stance, risking her life to perform for Allied troops. And upon the war's savage end, she finally returns to Germany to discover a heartbreaking secret amidst the war’s devastation.

MARLENE is out in paperback on December 13 and features exclusive extra content. A perfect gift for lovers of old Hollywood and strong dames! To find out more, please visit: www.cwgortner.com/Marlene.html.

Synopsis

From the gender-bending cabarets of Weimar Berlin to the tyrannical movie studios of Los Angeles, this sweeping story of passion, glamour, art, and war is a lush, dramatic novel of one of the most alluring legends of Hollywood’s golden age: Marlene Dietrich.

Raised in genteel poverty after the First World War, Maria Magdalena Dietrich dreams of a life on the stage. When her budding career as a violinist is cut short, she vows to become an actress, trading her family’s proper, middle-class society for the free-spirited, louche world of Berlin’s cabarets and drag balls. With her sultry beauty, smoky voice, and androgynous tailored suits, Marlene performs to packed houses and conducts a series of stormy love affairs that push the boundaries of social convention until she finds overnight success in the scandalous movie The Blue Angel.

For Marlene, neither fame nor marriage and motherhood can cure her wanderlust. As Hitler rises to power, she sets sail for America to become a rival to MGM’s queen, Greta Garbo. As one of Hollywood’s top leading ladies, she stars with such legends as Gary Cooper, John Wayne, and Cary Grant. Desperate for her return, Hitler tries to lure her with dazzling promises. Defiant in her stance against the Nazis, Marlene chooses instead to become an American citizen, and after her new nation is forced into World War II, she tours with the USO, performing for Allied troops in Europe and Africa. But one day, she must return to Germany, where she will discover a heartbreaking secret amidst the war’s devastation that transformed her homeland and the family she loved.

An enthralling account of this extraordinary legend, MARLENE reveals the inner life of a woman of grit and ambition who defied convention, seduced the world, and forged her own path.

“Full of the sizzle and decadence of Weimar Berlin, and the scandal and soirees of Hollywood’s golden era, this is a gloriously entertaining read. CW Gortner’s Marlene is utterly beguiling, the kind of woman who only comes along once in a century. Reader, you can’t take your eyes off her!” —Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author

About the Author

C.W. GORTNER holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies from the New College of California, as well as an AA from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco.

After an eleven year-long career in fashion, during which he worked as a vintage retail buyer, freelance publicist, and fashion show coordinator, C.W. devoted the next twelve years to the public health sector. In 2012, he became a full-time writer following the international success of his novels.

In his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard at Hampton Court, learned about organic gardening at Chenoceaux, and spent a chilly night in a ruined Spanish castle. His books have garnered widespread acclaim and been translated into twenty-one languages to date, with over 400,000 copies sold. A sought-after public speaker. C.W. has given keynote addresses at writer conferences in the US and abroad. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights, in particular companion animal rescue to reduce shelter overcrowding.

Half-Spanish by birth and raised in southern Spain, C.W. now lives in Northern California with his partner and two very spoiled rescue cats.

Giveaway

To win a paperback copy of Marlene: A Novel of Marlene Dietrich by C.W. Gortner, please enter via the Gleam form below. Two copies are up for grabs!

Rules

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield joins us with her latest release, a sweet World War II romance.

Picture
a beautiful summer day when the sky is clear, the temperature is warm,
but not uncomfortably so, and the humidity is low.

On one of those ideal summer days, Captain Cavedweller (my husband) and I climbed a hilly path to visit the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon. We heard it was “nice” and “pretty,” but we had no idea what to expect.

After
we topped the hill and paid our admission at the little gate booth, we
walked inside the garden, spellbound by the beauty around us. For a few
minutes, we didn’t move, absorbed in the wonder of being transported to a
completely different world in a matter of a few steps. The garden — oh,
such a lovely garden. I highly recommend visiting it if you are ever in
the area. There are ponds with bright orange fish, walking paths, raked
sand, and a waterfall. In truth, in my mind’s eye, it is Miko’s secret
garden, only bigger.

It was while we wandered
along the moss-covered stones and stepped across the wooden bridges that
the idea for this story began to percolate. What if there was a girl
who lived in a secret garden? Why would she be there? What scenario
would drive her into hiding in a Japanese garden up on a hilltop that no
one knew was there?

As Captain Cavedweller and
I ambled among weeping cherry trees and vibrant flowering bushes, I
blurted out my thoughts. Then somehow, in a wonderful blending of ideas,
we both arrived at the conclusion of World War II. A Japanese girl
would have every reason to hide, had she the opportunity to do so, in
1942 when the government ordered all Japanese along the West Coast
“military areas” to report to Assembly Centers.

And so the story was born.

Can forbidden love blossom

amid the constraints of war?

The
moment the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, life shifted for Miko
Nishimura. Desperate to reach the Portland Assembly Center for
Japanese-Americans, she’s kicked off the bus miles from town. Every tick
of the clock pushes her closer to becoming a fugitive in the land of
her birth. Exhausted, she stumbles to her grandparents’ abandoned farm
only to find a dying soldier sprawled across the step. Unable to leave
him, she forsakes all else to keep him alive.

After crashing
his plane in the Battle of the Atlantic, the doctors condemn Captain
Rock Laroux to die. Determined to meet his maker beneath a blue sky at
his family home, he sneaks out of the hospital. Weary and half out of
his mind, he makes it as far as a produce stand he remembers from his
youth. Rather than surrender to death, Rock fights a battle of the heart
as he falls in love with the beautiful Japanese woman who saves his
life.

A poignant, sweet romance, Garden of Her Heart proves love can bloom in unlikely places even under the most challenging circumstances.

She
shook her head and tried to pull away from him, but he drew her closer,
wrapping his arms around her and holding her. His breath tantalized her
ear as he bent his head near hers. “Please?”

“I can’t, Rock. I
don’t want to be the cause of you missing out on the love of a
lifetime.” She turned her head to the side and pressed it against his
neck. Unintentionally, she heightened the yearning that already pulsed
between them. Forcibly, he relaxed his hold on her.

“Miko,” he whispered. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

Unhurried, she tipped her head back, drawn into the bright warmth of his eyes.

“Miko,
if I didn’t want to marry you, I wouldn’t offer. I rather like the idea
of spending my future with you. We have more going for us than many
couples who wed. There is no doubt in my mind at all about your ability
to be a good wife. Me, on the other hand…” His cocky grin brought an
amused light to her eyes. “It might be challenging to be married to
someone like me.”

A smile curved her mouth upward and Rock
tamped down the desire to kiss her again, even with the pastor watching
their every move.

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes
character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her
historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era
captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have
been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy
without being explicit in any way.”

Convinced everyone
deserves a happy ending, this hopeless romantic is out to make it
happen, one story at a time. When she isn’t writing or indulging in
chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her
husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Oh my goodness, I am so glad November is over! First, because I LOOOOVE Christmas but also because November was a giant suck fest for a variety of reasons. Despite all that, I managed to have the best reading month I've had in years (probably). I pretty much gorged myself on Christmas romance novels and it was pure heaven. I plan on continuing to do that for the rest of the year because they're full of fluffy goodness. I feel bad for reading so many of the same genre but
that's about all I can handle right and I have big reading plans for the
new year so I'm going to enjoy myself until then.

I hit my raised goal of 80 books and am now only 11 books shy of 100! Most of what I read was library books so like I every year, I've pretty much failed at reading my own books. I think the ones I did read this month were books I just purchased instead of just ones I've had for a while. I did beat my non-fiction total from last year; I know I wanted to finish with 20 total for the year but I don't think that's going to happen. I know I've missed a lot of reading goals for the year but I'm okay with that. I'm kind of tired of putting pressure on myself to read things. It's kind of fun to read what I want for a change!